Toy Story 3 Hits Theaters Today

Well, the day has finally arrived!  After years of preparation and months of anticipation, Toy Story 3 officially hits the big screen today.

As Andy heads to college, Buzz, Woody and the gang find themselves in a precarious predicament after mom mixes up the trash and the “keep” pile.  The toys find themselves at a daycare where they befriend new pals in an eclectic lineup of other toys from the daycare.

The third film in the wildly popular Toy Story series, TS3, like the earlier installments, is expected to break the bank, and be one of the biggest tickets of the summer.  The original Toy Story earned $191 million with its original release and $363 million worldwide.  As evidenced by the plethora of licenses for towels, shoes, cereal bowls, Pull Up diapers, bread and more, TS3 is quite the hot commodity in children’s gear.  And I’ll be the first to admit that our toy box has been filling up with our own respective gear in anticipation of the film!


Why is this flick so popular?  Well, for many reasons.  In part, what started 15 years ago as a collaboration between Disney and Pixar, has turned into a fleeting success.  Since their initial partnership, the studio has gone on to develop a laundry list of computer animated classics, with the original Toy Story as its springboard.  The story, cast of characters, exceptional graphics and more have kept audiences engaged for well over a decade.  Now, the original audience’s kids, nieces, nephews and perhaps grandkids, are just as excited for the toys’ shenanigans as we were 15 years ago.

 

Fifteen years ago, I was still in school.  [Let’s just leave it at that ;)]  Today, I’m planning to take my 2 year old who has been harping on Buzz and ‘Wooly’ for months now!  It’s incredible to think how much has changed for me between now and then; but what’s even more incredible is how these characters are still touching lives, even after all these years!

After all of the movie’s clever marketing, the film’s early reviews are looking quite bright!  I can’t wait to share my thoughts, and maybe even a some of our favorite kid gear to boot.  For now, take a look at this pretty cool behind the scenes clip with interviews from some of the voices.  If you go to see Toy Story, be sure to tell me what you thought!

 

 

Check it!

Speaking of how much things have changed in 15 years, did you know Disney Pixar has a Facebook app where you can buy Toy Story 3 tickets via Facebook? You FB-obsessed people (like me) don’t even have to leave the site to secure your own movie tickets!  Just head to Disney Together to get the app and click, click and you’re done!

Wish List: Artek for Kids

In the madness that has been our family moving and transitioning, one fun facet of the whole process has been plotting our the renovation and decor of our home.  As with everything, I’m thinking practical, sustainable, while keeping a classic and modern aesthetic.  And did I mention affordable?

But as most design fans know, sometimes the sleekest pieces aren’t always the most cost-efficient.  But man, are they gorgeous.

On my never-ending hunt for beautiful children’s furniture that would fit our casual, but modern taste, I’m currently in love with Artek’s Children furniture.  A mama can dream.

Read More

Enter Sandbox: Because Kids Should Know Good Rock

Power chords, melodic keyboard solos and colorful lyrics, that’s what Starfish sounds like.

With influences from timeless bands, the second cd from popular kid rockers, Starfish, Enter Sandbox is a melodic juxtaposition of upbeat, fun tunes for kids.  Enter Sandbox aces the kid rock genre with songs that kids can sing along to, and with distinct nods to quintessential rock Gods like the Ramones, Rush and more, parents will willingly rock out as well.

My Name is No, the second track of the 12-song cd, made me nostalgic for my high school and college mix tapes and cd collection.  The guitar and bass, though a funk-filled style of their own, were reminiscent of some of my favorite songs from Rush and Primus, but with lyrics that two-year old can totally appreciate.

Read More

Disney Pook-A-Looz are Cute, Edgy and Sweet

I’ve been reading some blurbs about the Licensing Expo that was recently held in Vegas.  Of the interesting information that was dispersed from the annual show that showcases all the hottest licenses in the industry, I was interested to see this one from Disney Consumer Products, which I’ll get into later.

Pook-A-Looz

Speaking of Disney, at the Time to Play Spring and Summer Showcase, Disney Consumer Products had a diverse selection of their latest toys.  Aside from the much-hyped Toy Story and the ever-popular Princesses toys, DCP had some new, but familiar faces.

DCP recently introduced Pook-A-Looz, a plush line of their classic characters who have received a modern-meets-vintage twist.  That probably doesn’t make too much sense, but according to Disney, Pook-A-Looz were designed to capture the personalities of iconic Disney characters in an edgy, offbeat way.  They’re said to be inspired by the urban vinyl toy culture, which began in Asia a decade ago.

 

Read More

Angelina Ballerina: The Next Step Embraces Music, Dance

Some of the fondest memories from my childhood include the years that I was enrolled in dance class.  I loved ballet and jazz so much that I took my training and lessons with me beyond high school and even danced for several years in college.  And because it’s the end of the school year, it also means that it’s recital season for many little girls (and some boys, too).

 

With recital season in full swing, coupled with my love for dance, one show that comes to mind for Music Monday is, Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps, which airs on PBS Kids.  The show is based on the award-winning children’s book series by author Katharine Holabird and illustrator Helen Craigre.  Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps debuted this past September in full CG animation, incorporating elements of choreography from top dance organizations from American Ballet Theatre to Alvin Ailey.

Read More

Axlscloset.com Features Cool Threads for Cool Kids

While most of you are updating and/or breaking out your summer wardrobes, our family continues to pack for our move. Between us, there’s nothing I’d love more than to chuck all of our clothes and start over so we can be done packing already!  But that would be too easy.

With all of these summer clothes posts lately, it couldn’t be more timely to introduce you to a rather sweet shopping site for cool kid gear. Alxscloset.com is a site that features trendy kids clothing from the outdoor, surf, and snowsports markets. The clothes reflect that slightly edgy surfer/skate aesthetic that I mentioned that I adore, especially for boys.

Growing up in Virginia Beach, and even to this day, we’ve always worn skate and surf brands, and this site caters to like-minded shoppers and parents.

[nggallery id=2]

The site features brands like Patagonia, Volcom, Roxy, Billabong, DC, Quicksilver, just to name a few, that I know my tween nieces and nephews would appreciate. Among the cool logo t-shirts, shorts, pants, jackets, dresses and more, there’s also a few vintage-inspired tees I wouldn’t mind for myself!  How about that adorable summer dress from Roxy!

Read More

Traintastic: Chuggington Toys are Coming Soon

One of our favorite Disney shows, Chuggington, unveiled another new episode this past weekend.  I hope you guys were able to catch it.

I’ve got a bunch of Chuggington news planned in the coming weeks…and actually, I was planning a fun viewing party with a few of our fellow Chuggington friends for last week, but had to reschedule.  I’ll be sure to share our soiree once our family is moved and we can get together with our Chuggington pals.

In the meantime, I thought I’d share about some other Chuggington news.  Did you know as of May 17, you can now pre-order Chuggington Toys?  The toys, already available in the U.K. and other locations, are making their way stateside.

Read More

Q and A with John Lithgow: Succinct, not Soporific

His theatrical and entertainment career spans four decades, through Broadway, Hollywood and back, garnering countless accolades, including a Tony, Oscar nominations, Golden Globes, some Emmys and four Grammys.

He has the capacity to make families laugh with eccentric roles like those from Harry and the Hendersons and Third Rock From the Sun, yet he can disturbingly induce the fear in his latest role as a murderer in Dexter and just as easily write seven endearing children’s books.

With all that, it’s safe to say this living legend transcends the “triple” requirements of being a triple threat.

And among those accomplishments, for the second year, Emmy-award winner John Lithgow will act as host for Turner Classic Movies (TCM)’s Essentials Jr., a summer movie showcase which highlights a lineup of iconic family-friendly films.  Set to run each Sunday throughout the summer, TCM’s Essentials Jr. includes films such as Old Yeller, To Kill a Mockingbird, Swiss Family Robinson, among others.

The other week, as part of his media rounds promoting TCM’s Essentials Jr., I had the chance to sit in on a short conference call to speak to Lithgow.

His voice resonated a little more than I expected it would.  And the phrasing of his speech was just as succinct as you’d imagine. In our short interview with the actor, author, singer, songwriter and performer, find out which films made an impact on him, what character he thought was brilliantly portrayed as a midwestern hick and why he thinks ‘soporific‘ is so fantastic.

Read More

Playground Pick: Alex Toys Catch N Stick Monster Mitts

Having just spent a wild and crazy afternoon at a dance party with our favorite characters yesterday and with a beautiful weekend ahead of us, I thought I’d share a quick playground pick today.

Catch N Stick Monster Mitts from Alex Toys is a fun twist to the playground favorite.  Playing catch helps kids with hand-eye coordination, which is a fine motor activity that’s important for development.  And what better way to work on playing catch than with oversized mitts and a soft tennis ball that both stick!

The ball and mitts have a Velcro front surface and adjustable strap on the back that make for a crazy good time for preschoolers and up.  The set that usually retails for around $13 is just $6.50 on one of my favorite kiddie sale sites, Totsy.

You need to register for the site, but in case you need an invite, feel free to go here.

I have a $15 credit from Totsy that I’m giving a random Facebook Friend for commenting on the update associated with this post!  Not a friend?  Be sure to “Like” NKT to find out about Facebook-only giveaways and fun discounts.

 

 

Can You Guess LeapFrog’s New Mobile Learning Device?

LeapFrog, always at the forefront of kid-friendly technology, is about to launch a new mobile learning device.  Like many of you, we’re huge fans of LeapFrog.  In addition to offering great products that I love as much as my kid, LeapFrog was one of the first big brands to reach out to me right after I launched this site.  In fact, I did my first (and only, so far) Vlog about Scout and the Text and Learn right after they launched last year.

Just as their microsite for this new mystery product went live, LeapFrog has once again enlisted us to get the buzz going about their new product. And they want NKT readers’ help, too.

Can you guess the device? What do you want it to be? LeapFrog wants NKT readers to guess what it is, or suggest what you think it does!  And we’re looking for creative guesses, so think about it and comment below.  And as an FYI, I have NO IDEA what this thing is either.

Giveaway

Each creative guess is entered into the giveaway for this mystery device.  Said NKT winner will be guaranteed front-door delivery of this new device the morning of July 15, which will be the very first day it’s available on shelf.  If that’s not the Next Kid Thing, then I don’t know what is.

So, check out their teaser and guess away and guess as many times as you like!

Comments below count as one guess, but if you decide to head over to the NKT fan page and add a comment to the entry associated w/ this post, I’ll count it as extra credit–3 entries!

 

Want even more entries?

Tweet about this giveaway for an extra entry.  Be sure to include @jenrab in your tweet.

Share about this entry on any social networking site for another entry.

“Share this” on facebook for another entry.

Get a friend to join the NKT fan page and get 5 extra entries.

Be creative and good luck!

Giveaway ends 6/6.  Winners will be notified via email and on the NKT FB fan page!